Be in the Know
by ShanaAlvarado29
Summary: An explanation over the recent, ongoing dry spell of updates, and some announcements for my current stories.


**Be in the Know**

Hello readers;

I feel absolutely horrible about not updating any of my stories in almost six months, but I do have a lot going on. I feel like I owe you a little explanation as to why I've been putting my stories off, but I guarantee you that I have not, or will I ever, leave a story hanging and half-finished.

So, here goes nothing.

In April of last year, I got married to my best friend, Michael O'Conner. He and I found out pretty quickly that we were expecting a child a little while before the actual wedding, but we were already engaged. My son, Sebastian Lee O'Conner, was born in September, and as you all may realize, babies do take an awful lot of care and attention.

My son is going on five months, and my parents have been more than happy to play nanny, and so I went back to work in January. I work as a security guard at a local high school, and so I keep rather good hours, while still leaving ample time for my family. However, balancing family and work can be rather time consuming, and so I haven't had very much time to sit down and write anything out.

My oldest brother and his wife are expecting their third child, a boy, in only two months, so that's really exciting. Since my sister-in-law has a lot of difficulty carrying children (and has had several miscarriages previously), my soon-to-be-born nephew has been giving her a smooth pregnancy.

On a more solemn note, just recently, I've heard that my other brother and sister-in-law are in the beginning stages of divorce. They have a young son, and I've seen what happens to children from broken families, and so it's breaking my heart to be seeing my brother going through so much pain, and for what my nephew will have to face in his life if the divorce is finalized. I'm praying that whatever their troubles may be can be worked out somehow.

As for my stories, I fully plan on updating **Shadow Mistress** until the end. I have a "sequel" to Heart of the Heroine that has been bugging me to write, and so I would like to get to that as soon as possible. However, some of you may not quite understand the timeline of the sequel or Heart of the Heroine, which is one of the main reasons I began writing Shadow Mistress. I have the next several chapters already plotted and plan on writing them as soon as I can, but it may take some time.

**Pritanic** is another story that I have been forcing myself to continue. The only downside to writing this story is that I didn't much care for the movie, and so I'm attempting to watch it so I can get the general timeline and happenings in the right places. Again, once I can make myself sit down and watch the movie, I'll get right on continuing that as well.

**Shattered Memories** has been nettling at the back of my mind for months now. Every time I watch the Count of Monte Cristo, I always feel like I can get back to writing about my beloved pirates. I have many plans for them, so you will be seeing a lot more of them soon. (Soon being in the general sense of the word.)

**Shadow Alchemist** has a storyline already planned out. I just happened to have written two different drafts and I am debating over which direction to go. One is more FMA –Brotherhood-esque, and the other is more original FMA. I will be threading the two story arcs together, so I'm not sure which path to take. But once I find out, you will too. ^_^

**Cobalt Warrior** - Don't hate me, but it's a little difficult for me to continue this. Why? Because in the early stages of the pre-write, I wrote a storyline and a summary for each chapter…but I moved right after writing it, and so, for the life of me, I can't figure out where they went. The issue is that since I had vented my ideas out on paper already, it's difficult for me to duplicate the storyline again. I am trying my damnedest, and I am getting some positive results. So I'll keep you posted on when I get some solid ground to work with.

**Angel's Legacy**, I am actually very close to finishing the next chapter. The issue is trying to find enough time to sit down and continue writing it. Once I find the time, you can expect a draft of my chapter (Teenie) and I'll get that uploaded and added to the story as soon as I get it back from her.

Last but certainly not least, **Let The Games Begin**. I have a slew of beautiful, at-the-edge-of-your-seat plotline that is itching to be written. Again, it's reality that keeps butting in, and with me, family comes first. So, again, you'll just have to wait until I can get some free time to sit down and put that wonderful plot to paper.

I really appreciate all of your patience. I just felt awful for leaving you all hanging for so long. But now you know what's going on, so I hope you can understand the delay.

I'll see you when I see you.

Love,

ShanaAlvarado29


End file.
